Bulls management talks DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, direction of franchise originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
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LAS VEGAS — In April, Chicago Bulls management promised change. In July, management promised more change.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Chicago-based writers, executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley followed through on a draft-night vow to detail their vision and direction for the franchise following free agency.
That period, which followed the trade of Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey and drafting of Matas Buzelis in June, produced the re-signing of Patrick Williams, the sign-and-trade of DeMar DeRozan for Chris Duarte and two second-round picks, the signing of Jalen Smith and Torrey Craig picking up his player option.
And according to Karnišovas and Eversley, they’re not done.
“After the season, I kind of said about the changes coming. We were telling the truth,” Karnišovas said. “I think very specific players we’re targeting—Giddey, in free agency adding certain guys like Jalen Smith, this year’s draft pick.
“In terms of youth movement, per se as a word, I would say that we have a lot of experienced young guys that are moving in the right direction. And I think the changes that are happening right now are going to help us to build for the future. That’s the best way to do it. And it’s still not a final product. There’s going to be constant adjustments.
“And I think three years ago when we came up with our plan, our formula, that worked for a short period of time until we got into injuries. The reactions, the second year and then obviously, we waited a third year to see where we at. Now, we’re kind of making these changes. You could argue with it’s too late or early. But that’s where we are right now.”
Indeed, management has pivoted to its second roster iteration after aggressively turning over the roster they inherited from March to August 2021. That’s when they traded for Nikola Vucevic and acquired Lonzo Ball, Caruso and DeRozan in a busy free agency period for a core that led the Eastern Conference for a half-season in 2021-22 until Ball’s injuries struggles began.
After that, the Bulls produced one playoff victory and two non-playoff seasons, leading to widespread questioning of why management didn’t cash in assets earlier than this offseason.
“We felt that we owed to that group to give them a chance to figure it out,” Karnišovas said. “And when we cannot figure it out, that’s when it’s up to us to have direction of the team and make changes. And that’s what happened.”
The most significant change was sign-and-trading DeRozan, who produced one of the most impactful three-season individual runs in franchise history and drew praise for everything from his on-court play to off-court leadership.
“I think leadership, both on and off the court,” Eversley said, when asked what the Bulls will miss the most from DeRozan. “I think he was an extension of (coach) Billy (Donovan) on the court and off the court. The three years he gave us were unbelievable, far exceeded my expectations.
“When we met with him (in August 2021) and talked about the opportunity, we were committed to winning. And we wanted to win right away. And to your question about like, ‘Did we wait too long?’ (to pivot), I think DeMar was almost central in that decision of, ‘No, give these guys one more chance.’ Like we told him, we’re gonna give them an opportunity to win and he was a gigantic part of that reason why we did that.
“You know, the pivot away from him, I would love if he was still a Chicago Bull right now. But I think doing right by the organization and letting him explore that opportunity to go somewhere else and try to win, we were not positioned well enough to bring him back. And two, trying to help him chase that dream (of winning) as well.”
Added Karnišovas: “It’s so hard to part ways with a guy that represents your values and invested in the organization, the young guys. So hard.”
The one scenario in which DeRozan might’ve returned had been if the Bulls found a trade for Zach LaVine. And even then, once the trade of Caruso happened, a new direction was marked.
As of now, little trade market exists for LaVine, who has fully recovered from his foot surgery in March and is having a normal offseason. And it’s clear that attaching an asset just for the sake of moving him wouldn’t be consistent with the new direction management has chosen.
“We expect Zach being fully healthy. And he is healthy. I think he can help this group next year. He’s been professional,” Karnišovas said. “Again, he’s healthy. We expect him to be with us at the start of training camp.”
Management is convinced LaVine’s injury issues contributed to his slow start to last season at a time the entire time struggled out of the gate. Perhaps overly optimistically, management is counting on LaVine to return to a young core and style of play for Donovan and not limit the growth of new core pieces like Coby White, Williams and Giddey.
Management also expects Ball to be at training camp and see where his recovery goes from there.
This isn’t to say LaVine won’t be traded. It’s to say the Bulls won’t make a bad trade just to move him.
“I don’t think there’s a perfect way of doing things in terms of sequence,” Karnišovas said of the overall approach to the new roster. “We prefer certain things to go first. I think sequentially it’s very hard to predict what…
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